So, it finally happened. After 16 years of having a Hotmail account, I changed my password one too many times and I could not, for the life of me, remember what I had changed it to.

But Hotmail has this special thing, you see. Where you can answer your super-secret security question and in return for a proper answer, whamo, you get to reset your password and get your email.

My super-secret question pops up on the screen and demands of me: Who is your favorite fictional character?

What?

I am not sure who my favorite fictional character is today, there are so many, I’m not sure I could narrow it down. I know I was in love with the written word and books and being a writer back in the day, but didn’t I take one moment to think, this question might cause problems later?

So now I have to spend special time trying to get in touch with my 21 year old self, asking her what her favorite fictional character is. Doing serious detective work as to what I might have been reading around the time I first set up my email account (all those years ago), what I was watching, what my mood was. I thought and I thought and I thought.

Nope. Nothing.

I learned an important lesson here, don’t change your password so much.

My sister on the other hand, has a different moral for this story (after she stopped laughing at me that is). Never have a super-secret question in which the answer will constantly evolve and change.

I eventually did make it back into my email, not by using the super word, or by contacting Microsoft, but by using every password I could possibly think of until I was allowed in.

Now I need to recall which password was the one that worked so I can change it.

1 Comment

Well, thank goodness! I’ve had similar experiences, except I maintain seven different emails (most specific to special projects) and, in trying to be clever or choose an appropriate password for each, it’s not unusual that I can’t remember which one I used for what.

I guess that means I need to email you. I now have ANOTHER reason to come to Idaho — well, besides seeing you and that sweet daughter of yours. 🙂 Start prepping her for that road trip!